Hammer nails it

James Hammer won the backing of the Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on Thursday for an open seat on the high-profile Police Commission. The full board will consider the nomination later this month.

Hammer, who gained notoriety eight years ago for prosecuting a couple whose dogs fatally attacked lacrosse coach Diane Whipple outside her Pacific Heights apartment, has worked as a deputy public defender and a prosecutor, and in private practice. He also has provided legal commentary on television and is rumored to be considering a future run for the San Francisco District Attorney.

The Chronicle

James Hammer up for Police Commission job.

During a City Hall hearing Thursday, he laid out his credentials for the Police Commission, touting his legal background and time spent as a Jesuit working with the poor in Mexico and teaching in a largely African-American high school in south central Los Angeles. As a gay man, he also would fill a seat on the seven-member police panel that is unofficially reserved for a member of the city’s LGBT community.

Supervisor Chris Daly said Hammer ”will be an immediate game-changer” on the commission whose learning curve will not be steep. Joining Daly in forwarding his nomination to the full board was Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier. Supervisor David Campos backed another applicant but said Hammer is well qualified for the commission slot.